Seven steps to Natalie Portman’s Black Swan body

It's the movie no one can stop talking about: Black Swan has a twisted story, more than one shocking scene and Oscar-worthy performances by Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis. It's out today in limited release.

Both actresses reportedly lost 20 pounds to get into character. “It was an amazing experience, but definitely a difficult one,” says Portman, who trained five to eight hours a day for more than a year. “It wasn’t really giving up [food]. It was just smaller portions… It was more quantity than a particular thing.”

But once shooting ended, so did the dieting. “It was just pasta and bread and pizza all the time,” Portman says. “I was like, ‘Please don’t let there be re-shoots for this [film] because I don’t think I could get back into the costumes!'”

We talked to Portman’s trainer, Mary Helen Bowers, to find out how the actress got in shape for her role, then we asked fitness expert Jennifer Galardi, creator of Ballet Body, for realistic, dance-inspired moves you can incorporate in your workout.

Plie Squats:
Stand with feet wider than hip distance and toes pointed out. Bend the knees, making sure to track them over the ankles as much as possible and keeping your hips underneath your shoulders. Try to not let the knees fall forward. Push through the heels, engaging the inner thighs, back of legs and glutes to stand. Keep body tall and shoulders down. Repeat 10-12 times.
Works: Inner thighs, glutes.

Calf Raise in Plie:
Stay in your 2nd position plie squat. Press into ball of right foot, lifting the heel while lifting the right arm in front of you to shoulder height. Switch feet and arm simultaneously (left heel lifts and left arm raises), while trying not to shift your weight from side to side. Keep your weight balanced in the center between your legs. Repeat 12-15 times.

Works: Calves, Shoulders, Glutes and Core

First Position Jumps: Stand in first position, heels together, toes pointed out slightly. Squeeze inner thighs together and bend your knees into a plie position. While maintaining a tight and solid upper body, jump in the air pointing the feet. Land softly, back in your plie position. Repeat 15 times.

Works: EVERYTHING in the lower body while initiating a great cardio burst.

Side Reaches:
Start in 2nd position plie, arms in second position. Lift your body up and over to the right and as you rise, point the left foot on the floor. Think of someone pulling at your left arm as it comes over your head to reach your body long. Make sure you use your core and obliques to get you into position and really crunch on the right side, making a ‘c’ shape through the right waist. Release the left arm back to second position while you plie center and switch to the other side. Keep alternating sides until you’ve done 10 reps on each side.

Works: Back, Core, Obliques and Legs

Standing Abdominal Reach with Back Bend:
Stand in first position, keeping the heels together, feet pointed slightly out and calves to inner thigh and groin glued together. Arms are above the head in 5th position. Round down and ‘scoop’ the belly, drawing the navel to the spine. Make sure the movement initiates from your core strength and not your shoulders pulling you forward. Return to center and take a slight back bend in the UPPER back, being cautious to not compress the low back. Think of going up and over a bar behind you. Do 12-15 sets.

Works: Abdominals and Back

Y’s: Stand in first position, hinging slightly forward at the hips with your arms in front of you, palms open with the pinky fingers touching. As you bend your knees in plie, lift the right arm up and behind you in a ‘Y’ position. As you straighten your legs together, return arm to center. Repeat plie and switch, lifting your left arm and return. Continue plies and switching arms until you’ve done 10 reps on each arm.

Works: Back, Shoulders, Core and Inner Thighs

Side Lying Developes: Lie on your side stacking your hips and legs long, a little in front of you. Prop your body up on your forearm, with arm in at a 90 degree angle, elbow underneath shoulder. The other hand can rest lightly in front of your body. Make sure you don’t ‘dump’ down. Stay lifted in the torso, shoulder out of the ear.
Pointing the top foot, slide it up to the bottom knee, so the top knee bends and faces the ceiling. Straighten the leg long into the air. Flex the foot and ‘resist the air’ as you use your inner thigh to squeeze the leg back down to position 1. Really imagine your leg getting longer with every rep. Repeat 12 times. Switch sides.